Genealogy Chat

Don't know if I am on the right board. I have only been doing this a year and never dreamed I would find out so much. What is the longest anyone on here has been researching so far...just out of interest.

There is one person who used to be on GR who has been researching for over four decades.

One of the reasons that you can get as far as you fo reasonably quickly is the internet but it's only a tool to use at the end of the day.

Handy for locating bmd, census and some parish records, early wills and now some of the military stuff on ancestry as the internet is you can't beat getting "down and dirty" amongst the paper records in the archives and libraries.

Putting meat on the bones and adding life to the names in your tree sometimes means finding records in person that you won't get via the net

Yes Glen, so far I have only looked at parish records on fiche but obviously I have much to do. To see it actually written down is more real. It's ok for these celebs on Who do you think you are to have it all done for them and travel round the world. Wish I had the funds to do that!

I cannot beat 4 decades.
But have been doing it for 14 years now, before the internet was common. I love delving into the archives finding parish records, wills etc, great fun.
Have taken my paternal line back to 1630 with the use of parish records, marriage licences, wills etc.
Only problem is I cannot do that over here, have to wait until I am back in England.

Lynn, what have you got and what would you like to find?

Hi Heather,
Oh I have both sides of my parents family and branches going back to 1790 or so. It's just finding the time and money to go to the records offices, family history libraries etc and I know it will take years to do it all. I need to take early retirement! When I go to these places they are mostly full of senior citizens who have the time to do it....lol

Hi Lynn

If your retirement turns out to be anything like that for my wife and me, you will barely have time to surf the net, let alone visit your ancestral homelands!!

David

Yes David
people tell me that they don't know how they found the time to work after they have retired. I suppose I should not wish my life away but it is so frustrating at the moment! hee Have you been researching long?
Lynn

I've been at this crazy hobby for more than 4 decades but things didn't really start to move until the advent of computers and internet.
Like Glen I used to get "down & dirty" in the basement of newspaper offices going through 100 year old newspapers. Also combing through cemeteries. Much more fun than sitting at the computer!

Margaret,
Yes I have been dragging my poor husband round cemeteries on weekends! I actually found my first buried rellie (my great grandmothers sister who died at the age of 15) and it was an amazing feeling. Is that morbid? lol

Meant to ask...what is the Mono button for on free BMD please? This is a great site.

I'm still looking for that Mono button, Lynn.

Sorry Margaret, been offline...the mono button under the volume/ page boxes.

Still took me forever to find it, Lynn!
I don't know what it means. I clicked on it and checked my grandmother's death and nothing was different.

Just checked the instructions.

Options - Mono Check this box if you are using a monochrome screen

What does that mean? Black & white?

I'm loving reading these comments!
I've only been researching a couple of years.

A couple of weeks ago - told my daughter I was off to the cemeteries in London -
She said 'Oh you're not grave robbing again'!!!!

So any cemetry searching is now called 'grave robbing'!

Christine x

Margagret, I suppose it must do. Bet not many people have them...security guards maybe...lol. Now I remember black and white TV's. Watching snooker was not much fun!

Christine with and without stars,
Yes, my 3 sons can't understand why I get so excited when I receive a death cert. "Mum's looking for dead people again" is a familiar term.
Getting ready to watch who do you think you are later. Last weeks with Jerry Springer made me cry.

My next problem will be -
who or what do I leave all the history stuff to in my will!!

I'm dreading the kids throwing the lot away!

Christine

They wouldn't dare throw them away! We'll come back and haunt them.